Interlude
by Miss Kagura
Summary: Sesshoumaru visits Rin's grave with another woman at his side.


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**Interlude  
**_By Miss Kagura_

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When he thought of his life, Sesshoumaru could only think of one way to describe the agonizingly short time he had with Rin. She was the interlude of his life, separating what he had been from what he was, offering a fleeting period of absolute bliss he could never forget. 

"_Rin's name is Rin!"_

Sesshoumaru smiled softly as he placed a handful of flowers on an old grave and watched the wind blow the delicate petals. Even such a long time after Rin's death, so many things reminded him of her, often bringing a single memory to the surface. The daffodils he had just placed on the grave brought her innocent little voice back to him, replaying a smile and the first time she ever spoke to him.

Rin seemed so peculiar at first, referring to herself in third person at times, and doing things that seemed completely pointless or odd to him. However, to understand Rin was to love her, something Sesshoumaru and his little pack learned the hard way. Even the dragon was easily wooed by Rin's antics, carrying her so gently that she could sleep on his back as they traveled.

The other woman in his life knelt next to him, respectfully waiting as Sesshoumaru took another stroll down memory lane, savoring the memory of Rin. How many things made him think of her? There was the wind, sunshine, flowers, green grass, stars, sunrise…he tilted his head just slightly to hear a sparrow sing softly.

_"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin called out gently cupping something in her hands. "Rin found a baby bird. Will you take it back to its home?"_

Sesshoumaru had given in after ten minutes of Rin's pleas to save the fledgling; he climbed up the tree and gently placed the tiny bird among its siblings in a nest. He really never had a choice, since kindness was simply Rin's way of living and he was unable to deny her anything. She always helped anyone or anything in need, be it lizard, human, or dog. It was one of the things that made her beautiful.

A sharp wind blew and Sesshoumaru's mind jumped several years, to Rin's first fertile cycle. She had been about twelve-years-old at the time, and while she wasn't entirely uninformed of her body, the sight of blood terrified her. When she had finally gotten over that fact, she curled up next to a tree and held her stomach.

_"It hurts, Sesshoumaru-sama." She whined._

Fertility and maturity were major milestones, even if they carried certain inconvenient side-effects. The youkai she traveled with, himself included, were happy for her, making the transition from child to woman. They also felt responsible for protecting the fertile, innocent scent that had settled on her body as she matured into a woman.

And what a woman Rin became.

Within a few years, Rin had shed the looks of a child for the feminine allure of a grown woman. Her legs got longer, her breasts grew, and her irresistibly cute, although chubby face disappeared under a delicate jaw, high cheekbones, and plump lips. Her scent was intoxicating, like an aphrodisiac he couldn't quite let go of.

Sesshoumaru sniffed the air, noting a scent that reminded him of the way Rin smelled back then, although considerably less innocent. He didn't want to speculate, although he probably had someone to kill later.

Rin's innocence, however, never wavered as she grew older and knew she was missing something in her life. She simply didn't know what it was that she needed. He understood though, and struggled against his wishes and his wishes for her. She was a woman, and he would not keep her from what her instincts and body craved. Rin needed a mate, to bear children, and to love. To deny Rin these things would be to cage her like a bird, protecting her from freedom and happiness.

The problem was this:  
Sesshoumaru wanted to be the one to give her these things, against his common sense and every promise he had made not to be his father. On top of that, Sesshoumaru had never really expressed any interest in getting married or mating before Rin. He had a few random lustful encounters with youkai women, but a youkai woman could never have made him happy. He believed then that the only woman he would ever tolerate was his uncorrupted, brilliant Rin.

One night, Rin woke him up, walking toward him in the dark night, her heart pounding in her chest.

_"Rin, what is it?" He asked._

_Sesshoumaru did nothing to push her away or encourage her actions. "What do you need?" He asked._

_She placed her hands on each side of his face and tried to find a way to describe this feeling that made her feel so unabashedly driven to touch her lord, but could think of only one thing. "You…I need you. Touch me. " Rin whispered._

_Sesshoumaru put his hand on her hip and pulled her down, gently kissing her. He opened her yukata and let it fall, exposing her breasts and stomach to him. Rin was so many things at that moment, but in his heart, he knew that if he took her, she would be his forever. Sesshoumaru would not fuck Rin like some common whore and pretend it never happened, or that such things could happen in a normal friendship._

_Rin, deciding that she liked having Sesshoumaru's blistering gaze on her body, shifted and threw her clothing to the side, sitting on him, completely nude._

"Are you alright?" A light, feminine voice asked.

Sesshoumaru emerged from his fantasy and found himself staring at Rin's headstone. He reached out and touched it, running his fingers over the writing. "Yes." He said.

There were so many memories of Rin, and so many things that made him think of her it sometimes felt as if she wasn't gone at all. Then again, there were times he quite literally would have done anything to lie beside her at night and feel her delicate body in his arms.

_"I can't…I can't…so tired." Rin said, sweat dripping off her brow._

_Sesshoumaru kissed her forehead. "One more push, Rin. You can do it."_

They had five sons in the years following, which brought Sesshoumaru and Rin more happiness than he thought possible, despite the fact they tended to get in trouble fairly often. He changed diapers, put up with her bizarre pregnancy-induced mood swings, and coached their pups through their first steps.

Sesshoumaru's dreams of world conquest faded as his pups grew into adolescence and he began to consider raising them properly to be a far greater feat than taking over Japan. They were rowdy, mischievous, and got into fights far more often than was necessary. But, at the end of the day, they always came home to sit around the table and impress their mother with stories that really only made her sigh and smile at them.

_She rolled over in the bed and brushed some hair behind her ear. "They're so much like you."_

_"It is a phase. Every man thinks he can make himself great, until he finds his 'Rin.'" Sesshoumaru replied, hiding the anguish on his face as he stared at the gray that had mixed in with her brown hair. Time was slipping through his fingers, and at the age of forty, Sesshoumaru knew her life was probably already over half over._

_Rin smiled. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not dead yet."_

_"It is inevitable." Sesshoumaru said softly. "Watching you age is…painful, yet somehow beautiful."_

As it turned out, Rin's life was nearly completely over when they had that conversation, and he was spared the perceived burden of watching her beauty deteriorate any further. At the age of forty-one, Rin became pregnant again, and died nine months later in childbirth. In the weeks that followed, Sesshoumaru felt pain like nothing he could properly describe.

Time passed, and the soul-shattering agony faded to a dull ache as Sesshoumaru realized that some part of Rin had stayed with him and would stay with him forever. If that wasn't enough, Sesshoumaru only needed to glance to the side to see a sunny brunette beauty, who never failed to melt him with her smile.

Sesshoumaru looked up at the sun and smiled. "You are so much like her." He said, taking a flower from her hair. "She used to pick flowers all the time."

Hana smiled at her father and stood up, offering him her hand. "Come on. I don't want to be late for my own wedding, you know."

Sesshoumaru followed her, his feet feeling heavy as he prepared to let go of the only other woman he even allowed himself to love. It was inevitable, like so many things in life. He stole another glance at the grave and Rin's laugher echoed through his mind.

Rin was the sunshine, the flowers, the song of a sparrow, the smell of home, and the mother of his pups. Even in death, she was the thing that made him feel alive.

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**Please Review!  
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Author's Note: Shorter than my other works, I know. I'm working on an IY fansite and decided to take a break and write this up.


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